


How it All Started

by Stories_Unincorporated



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:29:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25495396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stories_Unincorporated/pseuds/Stories_Unincorporated
Summary: Chapter 1:Lily and James Potter are going into hiding. The Fidelius Charm has been performed and Sirius Black has just gone to visit Peter Pettigrew, the surprise Secret Keeper, to make sure he's safely in hiding. But something has gone wrong. Peter has disappeared and Sirius races back to Godric's Hollow only to find a scene of destruction.
Relationships: Friendship - Relationship, death - Relationship
Kudos: 1





	1. The Darkest Night

Sirius was fighting against a rising sense of panic. He had just been to check in on Peter, but he found that the flat where Peter was supposed to be hiding was utterly empty. There was no sign of a struggle. He had gone in to find it simply abandoned.

It felt wrong. Sirius couldn’t put his finger on it, but something was off. Peter was supposed to be in hiding. He was the key to protecting Lily and James. Peter was the linchpin to Sirius’s bluff. 

There was no sign of a struggle.

Sirius couldn’t bring himself to believe the worst. Maybe he had missed Peter, or maybe Peter was hiding somewhere else, or maybe he was checking in with James and Lily one last time. Sirius repeated the options to himself, even as dread and emotion boiled turbulently in his chest.

His motorbike roared through the air. Sirius knew he should be flying higher, where he was less likely to be spotted, but he didn’t care right now. He needed to get to Godric’s Hollow.

Ahead of him, Sirius spotted the small village, ablaze with light. It was late, too late. There shouldn’t be this much activity in the village. Something was wrong.

And then Sirius saw it, as he descended rapidly towards the street. The house. Or rather, what remained of the house. Huge chunks of it looked to have been blasted away, and light spilled out onto the street from inside.

Sirius jumped awkwardly off his bike, still a few feet in the air, recovered, and pelted towards the front door. He burst through the open doorway and there he saw, lying just beyond the entryway, his best friend in the whole world. 

The world became fuzzy as tears welled up in his eyes. Sirius couldn’t believe it. James had always been there with him. 

He pushed on into the house. Unsteady, he moved from room to room, looking, hoping against hope that he wouldn’t find anyone else. He shook his head and tried to breathe.

He took a few steps towards the stairs, still breathing rapidly. He clenched his fists tightly, steeling himself, and then slowly ascended.

Sirius reached the top and turned a corner. There, at the end of the hall, was a doorway. He could see the marks where the door had been blasted off its hinges. He knew what was waiting for him, but Sirius was powerless to stop his feet from carrying him relentlessly forward.

He moved forward, ever closer to the doorway. He could smell the dust in the air from the broken walls and door frame. He really didn’t want to know what was waiting for him on the other side of the doorway, but he couldn’t stop. He had to do it.

Sirius stepped through the open doorway and over a pile of rubble that had collapsed from the ceiling. He coughed slightly at the dust that still hung in the air. And then he saw her. Lily was laying there, in front of the crib. Sirius let out a painful sob and collapsed to his knees. James and Lily were more than his friends, they were his family. The only family he had ever felt he really belonged to.

He knelt silently in the dust, oblivious to everything, until an unexpected sound suddenly stirred him from his grief. Was it a cough or a cry? Had he even heard it? Sirius looked up towards the place where he thought the sound had come from, towards the crib. 

There he saw Harry, standing in the crib, holding onto the slats, and looking at him. Harry reached out and made a small sound of recognition.

Sirius was stunned. For a minute, he couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. He stared at Harry, with his little hand stretched out through the slats, hand open to him. It couldn’t be.

Sirius stood and walked over to him. He stared down into the little face that was looking up at him. The room went fuzzy again as Sirius succumbed to the tears once more. He wiped at his eyes with one hand while reaching out to hold onto Harry.

Sirius couldn’t understand. How was this possible? What had happened? He looked around the ruined room again. Then he saw it. Another body, this one broken and shattered, laying amongst the rubble. Sirius walked over to it. It was beginning to break apart, to disappear into the dust that covered the whole room. He looked down at the lifeless face of Lord Voldemort.

Sirius never knew why he did it. Rage boiled inside him and kicked out ferociously at the body. He struck the face over and over again. At each kick it broke apart a little more, until, with one particularly savage blow, it simply disintegrated. Sirius stood on the spot and watched as the rest of Lord Voldemort’s body disappeared into the dust.

A sound brought him back. He looked up to see the distinctive figure of Hagrid standing in the doorway. He looked towards Harry.

“I’ll take him,” he told Hagrid. “I’m his godfather.”

“Dumbledore wants him to go live with his aunt and uncle,” Hagrid replied.

“Then take my motorbike. It’ll be quicker.” He watched as Hagrid stepped carefully to the crib and plucked Harry out of it. “I won’t be needing it anymore,” he added in a sad undertone.

He followed Hagrid back out of the house onto the street. He looked at Harry one more time and let Harry grasp at his finger. For the last time, he allowed tears to blur the world around him. From here out he would need to be strong, but for this one moment, he let his grief and sorrow wash over him.

And then Hagrid was starting the motorbike and he and Harry were leaving, rising noisily up into the night. Sirius stood along in the road for a minute. He knew what he needed to do. Something had gone wrong tonight. The Fidelius Charm had been broken. Sirius was going to find out what had happened. To do that, he needed to find Peter.

His sorrow was fading away and, in its place, rage was building up. Sirius’s whole body shook with it. He took another glance at the house, the places where the bodies of his friends still lay, and he turned away. He would do whatever was necessary to avenge James and Lily. 

Sirius finally stopped and took a steadying breath. He shook a little less. He knew there wasn’t much time. He knew what he needed to do and he needed to do it quickly.

With one final glance he looked back at the ruined house. Then, he turned and disappeared into the night.


	2. Finding the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius Black has just left the Potters' ruined house. He knows that the Ministry will soon be after him, but he must do one thing first: find out the truth about Peter Pettigrew. Sirius needs to know if Peter has been captured and tortured into betraying James and Lily, or if he was a traitor. While he doe this, he must struggle against his own overwhelming grief and rage.

A large, shaggy black dog lay quietly in the shadows at the base of a tall stone wall. A well grown bush shielded him from view from the street, but a short distance in front of him, the dog could see two hooded figures speaking in front of a gate.

“It can’t be true,” said one in a low, gruff voice. “The Dark Lord is too powerful. Dumbledore must be trying to trick us.”

“Don’t be a fool,” snapped the other, his voice strained. “Even you should be able to see the signs. The dark mark has faded. It is not a coincidence.”

“I am not a fool,” said the first figure after a minute. “I am a faithful servant. I do not accept that the Dark Lord could be defeated.”

“Then you will go to Azkaban,” the other responded curtly and they fell into a huffy silence.

After a minute a third dark and hooded figure approached them from the other side of the gate.

“Why are you here?” he hissed through the gate.

“There are rumors,” said the second man. “The dark mark has faded from our arms. We came to find out if you know what is happening.”

“It is true,” said the third man, hurriedly. “The Dark Lord is gone and so should you be.” He turned to leave.

“I don’t believe you,” the first man said in his low voice.

The third man stopped and turned around. He approached the fence again. “Whatever you do or do not  _ believe _ , it does not change the truth.”

“What do we do?” asked the second man, his voice more strained than ever.

“I suggest you cut ties with anyone too stupid to realize that it’s over and go on with your life,” the third man replied.

“Do you know  _ how _ it happened?” the second man pressed.

“Of course I don’t,” the third man said. “I was not there. The Dark Lord trusted few with his secrets. I was fortunate to be one of them. I know that he was given information by a spy. Someone close to the Potters who could deliver them to him, a friend even, who could undo the enchantments that protected them. It looks now as if it were a trap, though…” he trailed off, uncertainly.

The third figure wavered a moment at the gate, as if unsure whether to stay or go. Finally he made up his mind and spoke once more. “You must not be seen together, you must not return to this place. If you come back and endanger myself or my family, I will kill you.” With that, he turned and left.

The two men stood a moment in silence and then, without a word, they too turned in opposite directions and left.

The dog watched them go and then slowly emerged from his hiding spot. He looked up and down the road to make sure no one was watching before stepping all the way out into the road. Once satisfied that he was alone, the dog walked down the road until he was safely clear of the large manor he had been hiding in front of. Then he crouched down behind a hedge. A moment later, a man stepped out from behind it.

Sirius Black was shaking with anger and grief. He understood now.

He had just come from his friends’ house. He had seen James and Lily’s bodies. He had stood in the ruins of their home. He had breathed in the dust in the air.

He didn’t know then, how it had happened. They were supposed to be protected. The fidelius charm was supposed to keep them alive. Peter Pettigrew had been their secret keeper. He had been their friend for years. He had known James almost as long as Sirius had. It was the perfect bluff, nobody would suspect them of using Peter, but that plan had gone awry.

Sirius knew he needed to find out what happened to Peter, so he had hidden out in front of the house of a Death Eater and waited. The conversation he had just overheard validated his hunch.

Peter had not been captured. He had not been tortured or killed for his information. He had given it willingly. Peter Pettigrew had betrayed James and Lily Potter.

Another wave of anger flooded through his body and Sirius pulled out his wand. He wanted to take his anger out on something, to curse and destroy everything around him. He longed for a release.

But Sirius fought back against his rage and put his wand back into his pocket. He needed to be smart. He needed to keep his emotions in check. He knew that he needed to catch up with Peter quickly, because there had only been four people in the whole world who knew that Peter had been the Potter’s secret keeper. Lily and James were dead, so now, everyone would believe that it had been Sirius who had betrayed them and Peter would go free. Peter would walk away from his treachery, unless Sirius could catch up with Peter before the Ministry caught up with  _ him _ .

But how to find Peter? How would he hide? Surely, there must have been a Death Eater who did know that he had betrayed the Potters. Would they also be looking for him? Did they also suspect that Peter had betrayed Lord Voldemort? Had somehow caused his downfall? Would Peter suspect now that he was in danger from them? That they could expose his secret and would seek out their revenge on him?

Questions and doubts chased themselves around Sirius’s mind. He shook his head to clear it. He had always known what to do and had trusted his instincts and judgement completely. James had been the same way. Before tonight, they had never had a reason to doubt themselves.

But now, James was dead. It was Sirius’s fault. He had made the suggestion. James had agreed. They had been wrong.

Now was not the time to dwell on that, Sirius told himself. Now was the time for action. Now was the time to find out what the Death Eaters knew about Peter Pettigrew.

One perk to membership in the Order of the Phoenix was that Sirius was privy to a lot of information that the Ministry either was too blind to see or too incompetent to have. That included the identities of many of Voldemort’s top Death Eaters. Sirius had expected to gain some information here, but it seemed he needed to aim a little higher if he was going to find Peter.


	3. Spies and Traitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius now knows that Peter Pettigrew has betrayed the Potters, but he faces the new challenge of finding him. He'll have to summon his courage to discretely discover the whereabouts of Peter Pettigrew. Sirius must keep his grief and anger at bay if he's going to be successful. If he takes care not to betray himself to Death Eaters or the Ministry, Sirius might just get one final chance to say goodbye to his god-child, the last remaining link to the friends he loved so dearly.

Dawn was approaching as Sirius approached another house. He had transformed back into the shaggy black dog, but he was even more cautious than he had been before. He knew that there was more danger here at this house than there was perhaps anywhere else in the world at that moment. 

He lingered behind a bin, watching the front door from as near as he dared. He had only been there for a few moments when a man burst through it. He was immaculately dressed in black wizards’ robes. His crisply parted black hair was showing some streaks of gray, but his perfectly groomed toothbrush mustache was still dark. He had a remarkably stiff, upright figure, but he was full of energy and clearly in a hurry.

A house elf followed him out carrying toast and tea, but he rushed across the yard without a word before disapparating once he had passed the gate. The house elf turned and walked back towards the house before encountering another, much younger, man emerging from the house.

The second man accepted a slice of toast from the house elf before he too, walked across the yard. When he reached the gate, he did not disapparate, however, but turned and walked briskly up the street. Sirius followed as discreetly as he could, keeping his distance to avoid being noticed. He walked in ditches and ducked behind trees, but the man never looked back.

After a while, they reached a small wood and the man turned off the road. Here, he paused for the first time, but then he suddenly set off again along a narrow path. Sirius waited a moment to make sure the man was safely in the trees before diving in after him. 

They walked along in the silence of the forest until the man came to the edge of a clearing. Here he stopped to look out at another man who was standing alone in its center. The man had been staring up into the sky, but he suddenly looked down at the newcomer and smiled.

The pale man stepped fully into the clearing and shook the other man’s hand. “Hello Rabastan,” he said.

“Barty,” came the reply.

“It’s obviously happened to you as well?” Barty asked, as his left arm twitched.

“Me, my brother, and Bellatrix,” Rabastan said. “The mark has faded.”

“What should we do?” Barty asked again.

“We must find the Dark Lord,” Rabastan answered simply. 

“And what of the traitor Pettigrew?” Barty pressed. “Are we to let him go free?”

Sirius’s ears picked up. 

“We will deal with him in due time,” Rabastan said, his voice dripping with malice. “The Dark Lord set up a hiding spot for him in London, right under the Ministry’s nose. No doubt Pettigrew will stay there for the time being, the cowardly wretch. He doesn’t know that the Dark Lord told Rodolphus, Bellatrix, and myself where it is. I wager he won’t show his face for at least a day, just to make sure the coast is clear, but then he might try to run.”

 _London_ , thought Sirius. No doubt Peter felt safe being surrounded by numerous muggles and being close to the ministry. If Rabastan was right, and based on what he knew of Peter, Sirius was forced to agree with him, then Peter was unlikely to be vulnerable until tomorrow. 

“The aurors must know something of this,” Rabastan was saying adamantly, the conversation having continued while Sirius considered this new information about Peter’s hiding place.

“I doubt it,” Barty replied. “The ministry seems to be as surprised as we are.”

“Well, we’re going to find out today one way or another,” Rabastan said wickedly. “We need to meet up with Rodolphus and Bellatrix. We’re going to pay a little visit to the Longbottoms.”

Rabastan and Barty disapparated together from the clearing, leaving Sirius alone in the trees. Sirius transformed back into a man and sat down on a stump. He had a whole day before he would be able to chase down Peter. A whole day before he could avenge his friends.

Grief finally overwhelmed Sirius. He sat on the stump, shaking and sobbing uncontrollably. James and Lily had been his real family. He cared for them more than he cared for his own life. He could not remember a happy moment, a truly joyful time, that they were not a part of. Now, surrounded by the empty trees, he felt utterly alone. 

After a long time, Sirius took deep gulping breaths of air and tried to regain his composure. He had a day before he could get at Pettigrew, so he had a day to do one more thing. He would have one last chance to look after his god-child.

Sirius knew where the Dursleys lived. Lily had told him about their house at number 4 Privet Drive when she and James had asked Sirius to be Harry’s godfather. They felt it might be useful information one day.

Lily was probably being practical. James had probably envisioned ripping up their yard with Sirius as a practical joke.

Either way, Sirius lay concealed in a bush, once more transformed into a dog as the sun climbed higher into the sky. He had been careful to not be seen as the inhabitants of the street awoke and began to leave for work. It wasn’t easy, but he had a good view from number 5 across the street.

Sirius watched as the large figure of Vernon Dursley climbed into his car and left for work. He watched as a tabby cat came up the street and sat on the wall of number 4. He saw the thin figure of Petunia Dursley come and go from the house with an extremely round and fussy child that must be their own son. He waited patiently through the day, letting his thoughts wander over the happy memories of his and James’s adventures. Finally, he saw Vernon Dursley come home. He watched as the man peered out of his blinds every so often at the cat, which had remained motionless on the wall.

As night fell, Sirius felt his nerves coming back to him. He had suffered in silence all day. Now, he knew that he was about to let down James and Lily one final time. He could not be the godfather he had promised to be. He could not look after Harry, could not protect him. The feelings of guilt and anguish threatened to overwhelm him. He had failed them and he had failed Harry.

Just when he felt that he could bear it no more, the lights from the streetlamps began to disappear. Sirius looked down the street just in time to see a tall, bearded figure who was collecting the balls of light into a small silver item in his hand. It was strange, but he felt calmer at the sight of the man. It reminded him that there was at least someone who could keep an eye on Harry and make sure he was ok. And Dumbledore was a good someone to have on your side.

Sirius peered through the darkness as Dumbledore walked up the street and sat next to the cat on the wall of number 4. He watched as the cat transformed into the familiar shape of Minerva McGonagall. He watched as they talked softly into the night.

Sirius watched as Hagrid appeared, riding the motorbike Sirius had given him the night before. He watched as they gently lay Harry on the doorstep. He was tempted to join Hagrid when Hagrid howled into the night, but strangely, Sirius couldn’t make a sound. He felt overwhelmed again. And he watched as the party slowly broke up and left, with Harry laying wrapped in his blanket on the doorstep.


	4. The End of the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius has wrestled with his emotions and he's managed to discover Peter Pettigrew's hiding place. He's spent the night watching over the god-child he now never expects to see again, but now it's time for action. He's staking out a location on the street where Pettigrew should appear before he runs away to go into hiding for good. Sirius will have to confront his old friend and try to exact justice for the betrayal of James and Lily Potter.

Sirius had stayed to watch over Harry all night. He couldn’t have slept, even if he had wanted to. There were many things he wished he could say, to Harry, to Lily, to James, but he didn’t know if he could find the words, even if he had the opportunity.

As dawn broke, Sirius rose and took a final look at his god-child. He hoped nobody would ever tell him this story. He hoped nobody would ever tell him that his parents had been betrayed by someone they thought was their friend. He knew Harry would never know the whole story, but he hoped that Harry would never know that story the world would hold up as the truth. 

It was possible that in a few hours, Sirius would be the only person alive that did know the truth.

It would be his last and final gift to the Potters. He could not be the godfather Harry needed. He could not be the friend James and Lily had needed. But he would exact the justice that they deserved.

Sirius traveled into London. He mingled on the streets, as a man and dressed as a muggle. He drew little attention and the large crowds made him virtually invisible. It was easy to find a quiet spot on a landing over an alleyway and wait.

Sirius waited all through the morning. He scanned the street up and down from his vantage point incessantly. He was tempted to let his mind wander, to dwell on the ache that consumed him. He felt it in his chest, like a physical pain, like someone had blasted away at his insides over and over again.

He wished he could just rip everything out. He longed to feel nothing. It would be so much simpler that way. No pain. No hurt. No suffering.

He couldn’t escape it though. And, Sirius reminded himself, he wouldn’t make that choice even if he could. He had always faced his problems, head on. He had made difficult choices before, choices that hurt, and he had always managed to get through it. He was a better man because he had gotten through it.

James had always been there to help him though.

Sirius gave himself a little shake. He needed to stay focused. He wiped at his eyes and looked back out at the crowded street.

He wasn’t sure at first if he was hallucinating or not. He hadn’t had anything to eat or drink for nearly a day and a half. Yet, there was a small, round, familiar figure, making its way through the crowds. Sirius watched the little man as he drew ever closer and with each step, the rage inside him grew more intense.

The little man was nearly level with him now. Sirius slowly and quietly climbed down the ladder to stand at the entrance of the alley. He hid his face as the man walked by and then stepped out to follow him. 

They walked along the street for a short distance, Sirius’s rage was suddenly mingled with doubt. He wondered if he had the strength to do it. To kill a friend.  _ No _ . He wasn’t a friend. Not anymore. And the rage came back, undiluted, blazing fiercely inside him.

“Hello Peter,” Sirius said, so calmly it surprised him.

Peter turned, squeaked, and then lept back in fright, bumping into a couple of office workers out for lunch. “Sirius,” he said in a shaky voice, “my dear friend.”

“How dare you call me ‘friend’!” Sirius bellowed. “Vermin! You know why I’m here. You know why I’ve found you.”

“You’re here to finish me off!” Pettigrew sobbed, as he cowered before Sirius. He had doubled over and was peering up at Sirius with abject terror in his eyes. He didn’t seem to have control of his limbs as his hands were repeatedly stuffed and unstuffed awkwardly into the folds of his coat.

“Yes,” Sirius growled. “I am.”

Peter was sobbing, babbling, almost incoherently, looking around for an escape. He was backing up slowly when he looked back at Sirius. “Lily and James, Sirius!” he sobbed loudly. “How could you?”

Sirius didn’t understand. What was Peter doing? And then he saw it, where there had been terror etched into the face of Peter before, now there was something else,  _ triumph _ . Sirius plunged his hand madly into his pocket for his wand, but it was too late.

A terrible explosion rent the street behind Peter. Dust and debris were kicked up and flew in all directions. Sirius threw his hand up to protect his face as he braced against the blast, but he was knocked backwards and off balance.

Sirius’s ears were ringing, his head felt foggy, his vision kept sliding in and out of focus.  _ Peter _ . He had to get to Peter and end it. This had gone too far.

He looked up, staggering forward a few steps, and could see, dimly, through the dust, Peter Pettigrew, standing at the edge of a crater and smiling at him. Peter looked down at a cracked sewer pipe at the bottom of the crater and then back at Sirius. He raised a silver knife and with a quick slice, he cut off his own finger. Then, quite suddenly, he was shrinking, transforming into a rat. Sirius tried to raise his wand, to stop Peter’s escape, but it was useless. The rat was already disappearing into the sewer. He was gone.

And now Sirius could hear the screams, the panic of the people on the street. He could see the blood and the bodies of people caught up in the blast. He could hear the crunch of broken glass on the ground. He could smell the dust in the air. It smelt like James and Lily’s house.

James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. They had been friends in school. An unbreakable bond, they had thought. They had always pulled Peter along, helped him, and guided him. James and Remus and Sirius, they had been the clever ones, not Peter. Peter had struggled at everything. 

But Peter had just outsmarted Sirius.  _ Twice _ .

Sirius stood there, wand at his side. He didn’t know what to do. He never would have believed it possible, but it had just actually happened. Peter Pettigrew had gotten the better of all of them.

He laughed. He laughed and he couldn’t stop. It was so  _ absurd _ .

Ministry Wizards were appearing all around Sirius. They were advancing slowly with their own wands covering him. The game was up. Yet Sirius couldn’t stop laughing.

The Ministry Wizards closed in on him and took his wand. Sirius didn’t bother to put up a fight. After everything he had been through in the past few days, he couldn’t even summon the will to resist. 

They led him away and Sirius knew what would happen. He knew the Ministry would send him to Azkaban. He would spend the rest of his life there. But he knew something they didn’t know; he was innocent.


End file.
